"Telepathic Chronicles 158 (PGH)": Slavek Kwi, a sound artist based in Ireland, started this project in 2018.  The idea is to have people generate audio at the same time in multiple locations in order to try to create a proactive psychic unity.  The dates are usually, or always, chosen for astronomical significance - such as on the solstice.  I participated in the 2nd one, in July, 2018, & restarted again in September, 2025.  My 1st time was solo but in these 2025 participations I've chosen to play w/ others: Kenny Haney & Ben Opie for 154, & just Ben Opie for 157 & 158.  The amount of collaborators will change in the future.  For this session, on November 20, 2025, Ben played tenor sax & I played ±23 string instruments from my collection: decorative hurdy gurdy, Celtic Lyre, 19th century German Concert Lyre, cigar-box guitar, lap guitar, dulcimer, 1/2 size violin, 3/4 size violin, full size violin, electric violin, gusle, 6 string acoustic guitar, 12 string acoustic guitar, 6 string electric guitar, cello, electric bass guitar, saz, mandolin, decorative balalaika, mini-guitar, bowed psaltery, 5 string banjo.  Since I have very little money, the instruments were acquired cheaply & are often not as playable as more expensive instruments would be.  E.G.: I made the decorative hurdy-gurdy from a kit, it's really meant to be displayed rather than played.  I amplified it w/ a piezo mic that picks up machine noise more than it does the feeble pitch.  The decorative balalaika has a painting on its sounding body & is meant to be hung on the wall, presumably made for tourists, it's still playable though.  The 19th century German Concert Lyre had a crack all the way down its back & was purchased at a flea market.  The 2 acoustic guitars both had broken necks, I fixed those in a primitive way.  The 1/2 sized child's violin was played by me for the 1st time & the neck fell out of its mortise during this session, it wasn't glued in.  I don't know whether that was intentional or an oversight but I fixed it by gluing it in.  I've been playing guitar since I was about 15 & I took 6 violin lessons when I was 18.  I rarely play any of the instruments used here.  Some I've only played one or two times over a period of several or many years.  My challenge to myself was to play them all in some way of interest to me, for the most part keeping my technique changing & trying to play something that I hadn't played before.  This results in a predictable 'precariousness'.  I particularly enjoyed playing the bass & the cello.  In my bass playing I avoided the conventionally expected repetition.  I need hardly say anything about Ben's tenor playing.  IMO he was amazing.  Thanks to him my downtime while changing instruments was covered over by beautifully inventive transtitions.  This mix includes the sound files from the 6 other participants: Kecap Tuyul (France), Piet Schen (Germany), interlo-uck (UK), Linn R. Friberg (Sweden), Jena Jang (Austria), & Slavek Kwi (Ireland).  Slavek provided movies that I edited in & Kecap Tuyul provided a screenshot of his patching.  Mixing together audio files from people who were playing at the same time but not hearing each other at the time (unless anyone can claim a telepathic hearing) is a technical feat that I make no claim of adequately accomplishing.  My goal is to just have everyone's files playing at the same time with the hope that some sort of gestalt will be audible.  I do bring everyone to the fore for a total of roughly a minute on 2 occasions for each of the 6 people other than Ben & myself.  Because everyone's recordings cover a variety of recording levels even that isn't as obvious as I might desire.  - December 7, 2025 notes from tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE 

Tags: telepathy, Telepathic Chronicles 158, Slavek Kwi, tENTATIVELY a cONVENIENCE, Ben Opie, tenor sax, decorative hurdy gurdy, Celtic Lyre, Lyre, 19th century German Concert Zither, cigar-box guitar, lap guitar, dulcimer, 1/2 size violin, 3/4 size violin, 

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